. world ski news : Old schoolers on top in Beaver Creek GS - 06 December 2004 - 12:41
Austrian holds off teammate to win slalom in sunday
The old school masters came out to the hill on Saturday and laid the smack down, winning the top spots in the Beaver Creek giant slalom. Lasse Kjus of Norway took the win, with Hermann Maier in second. Benjamin Raich was third.
"It's really important," said Marius Arneson, the Norwegian team's speed coach. "We haven't won a GS since he won the GS in 1999...With Aksel fourth and Lasse first, we are back in GS, and that's really important for Norway."
Hermann Maier hadn't landed on a giant slalom podium since before the motorcycle that nearly cost him his leg two years ago. "Maybe the reason was that I was much more concentrated for this race," said Maier. "This normally was dominated in the past by Michael von Grunigen."
The top American finish on the day was Erik Schlopy. "Age is only a number next to your name," said Schlopy, who has the number 1972 next to his name. "There needs to be a paradigm shift in the way people think about sports. People can perform for much longer than the general public realizes. I'm going to be the ambassador for that in alpine skiing."
SKIRACING, December 05, 2004
World Cup
Men's Giant Slalom
Beaver Creek, Colo.,
Dec. 4, 2004
1. Lasse Kjus, NOR 2:29.82
2. Hermann Maier, AUT 2:30.27
3. Benjamin Raich, AUT 2:30.46
4. Aksel Lund Svindal, NOR 2:30.54
5. Stephan Goergl, AUT 2:30.71
6. Erik Schlopy, USA 2:30.83
7. Davide Simoncelli, ITA 2:31.20
8. Didier Defago, SUI 2:31.22
9. Michael Walchhofer, AUT 2:31.25
10. Marco Buechel, LIE 2:31.31
11. Daniel Albrecht, SUI 2:31.58
11. Dane Spencer, USA 2:31.58
13. Thomas Grandi, CAN 2:31.61
14. Arnold Rieder, ITA 2:31.62
14. Massimiliano Blardone, ITA 2:31.62
16. Hans Knauss, AUT 2:31.73
17. Kalle Palander, FIN 2:31.78
18. Gauthier DeTessieres, FRA 2:31.81
19. Frederic Covili, FRA 2:32.04
20. Freddy Rech, FRA 2:32.10
21. Rainer Schoenfelder, AUT 2:32.15
22. Bruno Kernen, SUI 2:32.20
23. Manfred Moelgg, ITA 2:32.70
24. Giorgio Rocca, ITA 2:32.71
25. Joel Chenal, FRA 2:32.92
26. Truls Ove Karlsen, NOR 2:33.94
27. Bjarne Solbakken, NOR 2:35.65
other North Americans:
DNQ 2nd: Jake Zamansky, USA.
DNF 1st: Bode Miller, Daron Rahlves, USA; Francois Bourque, Jean-Philippe Roy, CAN.
DNF 2nd: James Cochran, USA.
THE SCOOP
By Hank McKee
equipment
Men's Giant Slalom, Beaver Creek, Dec. 4, 2004 Skier, skis/boots/bindings
1 Kjus, Dynastar/Atomic/Look
2 Maier, Atomic/Atomic/Atomic
3 Raich, Atomic/Atomic/Atomic
4 Svindal, Atomic/Atomic/Atomic
5 Goergl, Fischer/Lange/Fischer
6 Schlopy, Nordica/Nordica/Look
7 Simoncelli, Salomon/Salomon/Salomon
8 Defago, Rossignol/Rossignol/Rossignol
9 Walchhofer, Atomic/Atomic/Atomic
10 Buechel, Head/Lange/Tyrolia
Men's Giant Slalom, Beaver Creek, Colo., 12/4/2004. ... It is the sixth race of a 35 race men's World Cup schedule. ... It is the second of nine scheduled GS's. ... It is the third of a four race Beaver Creek schedule. ... Top five skiers are within a second even though the winning margin was .45 of a second.
It is the 17th career World Cup win for Lasse Kjus. ... But just his second GS win, the previous won 12/21/95 at Kranjska Gora. ... His most recent win was in DH at Kitzbuehel 1/22/04. ... It is the first World Cup win at Beaver Creek for Kjus. ... Although he and Herman Maier tied for the SG World title at Beaver Creek 2/2/99. ...
It is the 81st career World Cup podium for Hermann Maier. ... His second of the season. ... He was also second in the Lake Louise SG 11/28. ... It is his 24th career Cup GS podium. ... Maier has won more Cup races than any active competitor. ... It is Maier's ninth career Cup podium at Beaver Creek. ... He also won the 2/6/99 World Championship DH and tied Kjus for the SG gold. ... Only Maier and Kjus have ever won World Cup GS's at Beaver Creek.
It is the 36th career Cup podium for Benjamin Raich. ... His 16th in GS. ... It is his first podium of the season, though he has scored in all six races contested. ...
It is the ninth career top six placing for Erik Schlopy. ... All but one of those in GS. ... It is his best result at Beaver Creek. ... It is his second scoring result of the season. ... He was also 17th in the opening GS at Solden 10/24. ... Dane Spencer matches his second best career result. ... He was also 11th at Alta Badia GS 12/21/03 and was 10th at Adelboden GS 1/5/02. ... It is his second result of the season, having posted 25th at Solden GS 10/24. ... It was the second scoring result of the season for Thomas Grandi. ... He was seventh at Solden 10/24. ... James Cochran just qualified for a second run but lost the opportunity to score his first Cup points by not finishing the second run.
Bode Miller - who did not finish the first run - maintains the World Cup overall lead 480-274 for Maier. ... Daron Rahlves - who also failed to finish the first run - is fifth with 184pts. ... Kjus and Miller share the GS standings lead with 100 pts each. ... Massimiliano Blardone is third with 98 and Maier fourth with 96. ... Schlopy is 10th at 54pts. ... Austria holds the Nations Cup lead (including women's 12/4 race) 2231-1349 for USA. Switzerland is third at 811. ... The men's standings show the same three countries in the same order with the points 1473-787-554.
***
Austrian holds off teammate to win slalom ( 06/12/2004 00:43 )
BEAVER CREEK, Colorado (AP) _ Austrian Benjamin Raich held off teammate Rainer Schoenfelder Sunday to win the first slalom of the World Cup ski season. Raich, second after the first run, completed his two trips down the Birds of Prey course in a total of 1 minute, 51.06 seconds, edging Giorgio Rocca of Italy by 21-hundredths of a second. Schoenfelder, the defending World Cup slalom champion who led by one-hundredth of a second in the first run, struggled on his final trip and finished third in 1:51.55. "This is a great day for me," Raich said after his 14th World Cup win. "Before my second run, my goal was to be first, so this is the best part." American Bode Miller, the World Cup leader who won four of the first five races of the season and hoping to become the first U.S. man to win the overall title since Phil Mahre in 1983, skied out in the first run for the second day in a row. He hooked a ski tip midway down the run and went off course. He continues to lead the points with 480 with Austrian Hermann Maier, who did not race Sunday, is second with 274.
World cup Leader
Miller Bode
12.10.1977 (Franconia)
Ski: Atomic
Miller Bode 480
Maier Hermann 274
Raich Benjamin 263
Walchhofer Michael 224
Knauss Hans 202
Rahlves Daron 184
Goergl Stefan 162
Kjus Lasse 159
Svindal Aksel-Lund 136
Palander Kalle 124
Next Races
11.12.2004 Val D'Isere (FRA) DH
11.12.2004 Altenmarkt-Zauchensee (AUT) SG
12.12.2004 Val D'Isere (FRA) GS
12.12.2004 Altenmarkt-Zauchensee (AUT) SL
13.12.2004 Sestriere (ITA) NSL
17.12.2004 Val Gardena (ITA) SG
18.12.2004 Val Gardena (ITA) DH